Holy Tibet

Upon your landing today, our excellent English-speaking guide will be waiting for you outside the arrival hall of the airport. After greeting you warmly, he or she will transfer you to the hotel in downtown area by a comfortable private car. For the remaining time of the day, we intend to leave it for you, so you can have a good rest and restore energy from the long journey.

Your private China tour will officially start today. After breakfast, the guide will come to pick you up and go to visit Tian’anmen Square, the largest central city square in the world as big as 62 football fields. It is here that the founding ceremony of People’s Republic of China was held on October 1, 1949. Tian’anmen Tower in the north of the square is a symbol of China. After visiting the square, the guide will lead you to walk through the Tower to reach today’s second stop, Forbidden City. We will book the entry tickets in advance, so as to save you time from waiting in the long queue.

Forbidden City is an imperial palace complex of the Ming and the Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911 AD) and also a big museum. It tells people about the changes of the royal courts for about 600 years. Having the guided visit toward the Inner Court where the royal family lived, you may notice the archaeological site west to Gate of Thriving Imperial Clan. Surprisingly, it has been proved to be a part of the imperial palace in Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368 AD), which had been mysteriously lost over 650 years ago. Now, we can catch a glimpse of the lost palace so many years later.

★ Tasty A La Carte Welcome Lunch with Peking Duck
At noon, we will offer an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price). For you to sample authentic Chinese delicacies, we have carefully chosen a restaurant popular among locals, rather than a noisy eatery targeting at tourists. Peaking Duck is one of their most popular dishes. If needed, the guide will help you with ordering.

Then, continue to explore the Summer Palace, a fantastic royal garden with scenic landscape and magnificent architecture. Most ancient constructions are located on the Longevity Hill, among which Hall of Dispelling Clouds (Paiyundian) is the most eye-catching and spectacular. The Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) used to celebrate her birthday here every year.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

This morning the guide will escort you to travel out of downtown to visit the famous Great Wall of China. The Great Wall, with a total length of 21,196 kilometers (13,170 miles), is one of the greatest manmade miracles in the world. Like a huge dragon, it winds up and down across mountains, grasslands, deserts and plains, stretching from east to west in northern China. The Great Wall at Mutianyu we will visit today is one of the best-preserved sections, and dotted with dense beacon towers.

★ Privilege of Our Guests
Our Mutianyu Great Wall tour includes cable car rides for both ways, saving you a lot of time and energy. It will directly send you to the most scenic part up there. 

Lunch is not included but the guide will give you some recommendations. On returning way to the downtown after lunch, stop over at Bird's Nest to appreciate its unique appearance by roadside. Then, keep driving to Shichahai, where we will arrange a Hutong tour for you to experience old Beijinger’s life by taking a special rickshaw ride through the various Hutong alleys. We will also arrange a family visit there. After talking with the host and having a look at the traditional folk yard, you will have a better understanding of the folk manners and customs of the ancient city.

► Dinner Suggestion:
If you have a sweet tooth, after your hutong tour, try Sugared Fried Dough (Tang You Bing) at Hei Yao Chang eatery (Drum Tower branch). Established 35 years ago, this brand was the earliest to sell this local snack. First it was open only during the morning to sell breakfast and it’s after its name spread far and wide that it began to open all day long. Sugared Fried Dough is their signature snack, made by wrapping freshly fried dough with brown sugar, whose sweetness is enhanced by a crispy texture. Big sweet tooth would prefer sugar added to both sides of the dough, while the smaller would like sugar for only one side. Besides, steamed beef buns are also welcomed here. After your culinary exploration, perhaps continue to stroll around the hutong area. Average cost per person: CNY 20 / USD 3.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This day will begin from the Temple of Heaven, a delicate ancient architecture complex where the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to the God of Heaven. Nowadays, it is also used as a park by locals to do exercises and have fun. Then, it’s time to say goodbye to the capital city and fly to your onward destination – Lhasa in Tibet.

★ Privilege of Our Guests
We will apply for the Tibet Travel Permit for you in advance, to ensure that you enter Tibet without any obstacles.

Upon landing, you will be greeted by our local guide at the airport on time. In addition to a brief introduction of the city, the guide will also give you some useful tips on obviating high altitude reaction on the way to the hotel by a private car. Later what you need to do is to have a good rest in the room to adapt yourself to the environment. It’s not advised to go out for sightseeing on the first day of arrival.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Being reputed as 'City of Sunlight', the 1,300-year-old Lhasa has long been the political, economic, cultural and religious center of Tibet, so rich in historical relics. Today, the guide will firstly accompany you to visit the Norbulingka, the once summer resort for Dalai Lamas initially built in 18th century. It is the largest garden in Tibet with many traditional Tibetan style architectures. It is also the most beautiful of its kind surrounded by various trees and flowers, which is rarely seen in Tibetan Plateau, the roof of the world. Then, move on to Tibet Museum, which well interprets the peculiar Tibetan culture and history via plenty of collections, including various artifacts, Buddha figures, handwritten ancient books, artistic Thangka paintings, and ethnic handicrafts.

★ Watch Monks Debating over Buddhist Doctrines in Sera Monastery
After having lunch at a fancy restaurant, you will be guided to the Sera Monastery, one of the greatest monasteries for Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The biggest draw of this monastery is monks debating over Buddhist doctrines, which is going on from 15:00-17:00 every day except Sundays. They, either standing or sitting on the ground, clap theirs hands to urge the other side to answer the question as soon as possible, or turn the Buddha beads to get the power from the Buddha to defeat the opponent. The debating is fierce, helping monks learn more about Buddhism.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Another exciting day will start with a visit to the Potala Palace. It is world-famed for its unique layout, civil engineering, metal smelting, painting, sculptures and so on. It is a wonder indeed that the palace has stood for millennium but been preserved well. Every year in the eighth and ninth months of the Tibetan calendar, the local workers hang down from the roof and spray a special paint on the wall of Potala Palace. This paint is mixed with milk, honey, rock sugar, white granulated sugar, brown sugar, saffron and more materials. In addition, white lime is added to keep insects away, making the Potala Palace have a great corrosion resistance. On the hill, the wall of Potala Palace on the bottom is 5 meters (about 197 inches) thick, placed with melted iron. The upper walls become thinner and thinner, but the thinnest thickness reaches 1 meter (39.4 inches). The upper walls were not filled with iron, instead of a special straw in Tibet. The compacted neat straws gave the walls a wonderful toughness. Thanks to all these, you can see in person the Potala Palace standing firmly.

Travel Tip: Potala Palace is built on a hillside with many stairs. It is advised you wear a pair of comfortable hiking shoes and slow down to prevent altitude sickness.

After lunch, the guide will escort you to Jokhang Temple. This temple is the spiritual center of Tibetans because the rare statue of the 12-year-old Sakyamuni is worshipped inside. Around the Jokhang Temple, is the ancient Barkhor Street where many traditional Tibetan style buildings are well preserved. It also abounds in souvenirs full of Tibetan characteristics.

The last stop of the day will be a Nunnery, the only nunnery in Lhasa. Every day from 08:00 to 18:00, the nuns chant and learn Buddhism. Followers often give alms and ask the nuns to chant per their requests for themselves or their families. 

► Dinner Suggestion:
Want to get a taste of what Lhasa is about? Out of the Nunnery, walk 350 meters (about 383 yards) to Barkhor Street and visit the restaurant Xun Shi - Zang Di Ding Shi. It offers dishes all made of seasonal ingredients from local farms, such as pine mushrooms, Chinese caterpillar fungus, yellow morels… Each season provides you with different mixes. The restaurant features local cuisine blended with Sichuan flavors and serves set meals, so you don’t need to rack your brain over matching which ingredients with which. The taste is overall lightly-flavored. Average cost per person: CNY 60 / USD 8.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Your guided sightseeing in Tibet will come to an end here. According to the fight schedule, the guide will offer you a private transfer to the airport and assist you to board the onward flight to Xi’an. Upon landing, our local guide will meet you at the airport and then transfer you to the hotel.

During the rest time of the day, we recommend you to have a rest in the hotel room, to recover from high altitude sickness. If you feel all right, you may stroll around nearby on your own.

Meals: Western style breakfast

It will be a breathtaking trip today because you will see the grand Terracotta Army at close quarters. It is the largest underground military museum in the world. The lifelike soldiers and horses were orderly arranged in battle formations with different facial expressions with each other. 

Lunch is not included. But the guide will be kind enough to give you some advice and assistance.

★ Privileges of Our Guests
► The Terracotta Army was accidentally discovered by peasant Yang Zhifa. If it was not Mr. Yang, the grand underground military army may still keep as a secret. After lunch, the guide will accompany you to Mr. Yang’s home to learn some interesting stories behind the great discovery. You may also take a photo with Mr. Yang.

► Then, follow the guide to a local workshop, where you will enjoy the fun of shaping clay into a vivid mini terracotta figure under the instruction of an artisan. You may carve a special logo or simply your name on it, like the Qin artisans did 2,200 years ago. It takes about 40 minutes or so and after being finished, you can bring it home as a memorable souvenir for this Terracotta Army tour.

After, drive back to downtown to visit the well-known Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty to collect the valuable Buddhist sutras taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. This square brick pagoda has been a landmark of the ancient city. This day will conclude at Great Tang All Day Mall, a prosperous Tang style quarter. In addition to the amazing architectures, there are many statues and performances themed on historical stories. Later, the guide will send you back to the hotel. If you want to appreciate the colorful night views of the quarter, the guide will inform you the returning way before leaving.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, join the locals to do some morning exercises at the City Wall Park, like Tai Chi. You may also watch them playing Ping Pong, singing Shaanxi opera, practicing sword dancing, or others. Then ascend the City Wall, which was constructed 600 years ago to protect people living inside. Have a walk on the wall and explore the city's history from every of its bricks and titles. If you want to experience the interesting cycling up there, the guide will help you rent a bike.

Coming down from the City Wall, proceed to the Great Mosque, one of the largest and oldest Islamic mosques in China. On the way to the mosque, we will pass by Bell Tower and Drum Tower, also the ancient landmarks of this city. After visiting the Mosque, explore the nearby Muslim Quarter. It is best-known for various Halal dishes and snacks. Don't leave yourself with any regrets and taste some based on your preference.

In the afternoon, fly to Shanghai, where our local guide will expect you at the airport and escort you to check in at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Featured Xi'an snacks for lunch

In the morning, the guide will firstly accompany you to see plenty of rare historical collections displayed in Shanghai Museum. It is one of the four best museums in China and mainly features bronze vessels, potteries, calligraphies and paintings. The next stop will be the famous and scenic Yu Garden. As one of the masterpieces of the classical gardens in southern China, it is marked by ingenious design, delicate layout and elegant landscape.

At noon, we will invite you to a farewell a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a fancy and famous local restaurant, where you will taste authentic Shanghai cuisine, which stresses the use of condiments while retaining the original flavors of the ingredients, tasting fresh and yummy.

★ A Fun and Leisurely Cruise on Huangpu River
After lunch, we will arrange for you a cruise on Huangpu River to view this city from different angles. The cruise will pass by the city's landmarks including Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower and more on the east bank and the Bund on the west bank. It’s time and energy saving to take in the different cityscapes at the same time.

Debarking on the Bund, the guide will escort you to walk around to appreciate the various European buildings more closely. It was reputed as “Wall Street in the Middle East” and contributed a lot to world’s economy back to 1930s to 1940s.

Finally the guide will show you around in Tianzifang. It is an aged block with many local traditional residences- Shikumen, but full of lively shops selling creative and artistic items. It is a good place to learn both the traditional culture and the modern art of the city.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

At the agreed time, the guide and driver will transfer you to the airport and see you off. Hope our dedicated services ensure you a memorable, interesting and enjoyable private vacation!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast